2027 Kawasaki KLE650 first look

Just two years after it teased the KLE500 at the EICMA show in Italy and one year after the KLE500 was introduced, Kawasaki is back with more. The KLE650 not only adds another middleweight option to the street-legal and dirt-ready 21-inch-front-tire selection, but it also comes with some features, such as cruise control, that some buyers have misssed on similarly priced competing middleweights. And, since Kawasaki has also confirmed the return of the stalwart KLR650, those riders who feel that anything with less than a 20-year history is still too new-fangled to take on an adventure will also have a Kawasaki option they can feel comfortable with.

KLE650: Two versions, well equipped

Kawasaki has set the MSRP for the KLE650 ABS at $8,799 and the KLE650 SE ABS at $9,999. Both offer the same powertrain. The difference lies in the features.

The base KLE650 has an LCD display while the SE has a full-color display. Both offer an assist-and-slipper clutch, two-level traction control, switchable ABS, an adjustable windscreen, smartphone connectivity via Kawasaki's app, and — cue the applause from the Common Tread cruise control lobby — electronic cruise control. In addition to the fancier display, the SE model adds a quickshifter, a taller windscreen, a larger aluminum skid plate, reinforced handguards, and spoked wheels that wear tubeless tires.

Here's one item plucked from the spec sheets that leaves me wondering. When Dustin rode the KLE500, he noted that the engine still felt like it belonged in the Ninja 500, not an adventure bike, and he would have liked some more power down low. At first glance, Kawasaki's news release would seem to promise that they've taken that into consideration. It talks about changes to 649 cc parallel twin found in the Ninja and Versys to provide "strong low- to mid-range torque." But if you look at the numbers, Kawasaki claims the KLE650 makes a peak 70 horsepower at 8,600 rpm and the Ninja 650 makes a peak of 67 at 8,000 rpm. The KLE650 supposedly produces 47.2 foot-pounds of torque at 7,500 rpm compared to the Ninja 650's 48.5 foot-pounds at 6,700 rpm. So which one is the sport bike? When we get a chance to ride a KLE650, we'll see if the numbers are misleading.

On paper, the KLE650 looks like an interesting addition to the middleweight adventure-touring ranks. It has many of the features of the more expensive Aprilia Tuareg with the price tag of the Honda Transalp. Whether the Kawasaki's performance will match those other two is another question.

What's not in question is that with a lineup spanning bikes ranging from the Versys-X 300 to three KLE500 models to the venerable KLR650 and now the new KLE650, Kawasaki has entered the lightweight and middleweight adventure-touring market in a serious way. And for those who have spent years wondering why Kawasaki hasn't updated its KLR650 with its twin-cylinder engine, today's your long-awaited day. And you didn't even have to give up the old Killer to get the new KLE.

2027 Kawasaki KLE650
Price (MSRP)	Base: $8,799; SE: $9,999
Engine	649 cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, parallel twin
Transmission, final drive	Six-speed, chain
Claimed horsepower	70 @ 8,600 rpm
Claimed torque	47.2 foot-pounds @ 7,500 rpm
Frame	Steel trellis
Front suspension	KYB 43 mm inverted fork; 8.3 inches of travel
Rear suspension	Uni-Trak shock, adjustable for preload; 7.7 inches of travel
Front brake	Dual two-piston calipers, 300 mm discs, with ABS
Rear brake	Two-piston caliper, 230 mm disc, with ABS
Rake, trail	28.0 degrees, 4.2 inches
Wheelbase	34.3 inches
Seat height	34.3 inches
Fuel capacity	4.2 gallons
Tires	Dunlop Trailmax Mixtour, 90/90-21 front, 150/70-17 rear
Claimed weight	NA
Available	NA
Warranty	12 months
More info	kawasaki.com